ECOSYSTEM OF MEXICO GULF

FYBCOM-D-049-SONAM-UPADHYAY-47
1. The Gulf of Mexico (Spanish: Golfo de México) is  ocean basin
 and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded
by the North American continent.
2.  It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the 
Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southwest and the 
Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, 
Yucatan, and Quintana Roo; and on the southeast by Cuba. The 
US states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida,
which border the Gulf on the north, are often referred to as the
"Third Coast" of the United States (in addition to its Atlantic
and Pacific coasts).
MAP OF MAXICO GULF
TROPICAL EVERGREEN FOREST (RAINFOREST)
• One of the most complex and richest ecosystems on the Earth.
• It has been estimated that more than 50% of all animal and plant
species live here.
Occurs in lowland areas (below 1200m) of abundant precipitation
and year round warmth with mean monthly temperatures higher
than 18 degrees Celsius (usually in between 20 and 28 degrees
Celsius).
• The yearly precipitation is usually higher than 250 cm (150 -
400cm) and can be slightly unevenly distributed.
• More than 75% of species maintain their leaves all year round.
THIS ECOSYSTEM SHOWS DISTINCTIVE VERTICAL STRATIFICATION:

• A layer - the emergent :

Widely spaced trees 30 to 40m tall and with
umbrella-shaped canopies extend above the
general canopy of the forest. Since they must
contend with drying winds, they tend to have small
leaves and some species are deciduous during the
brief dry season.
• B layer:
• a closed canopy of   around 25m tall trees. Light is
readily available at the top of this layer, but greatly
reduced below it.
• C layer:
• a closed canopy of 20m tall trees. There is little air
movement in this zone and consequently humidity
is constantly high.
• Shrub/sapling layer:
Less than 3 percent of the light intercepted at the top of the forest
canopy passes to this layer. Arrested growth is characteristic of
young trees capable of a rapid surge of growth when a gap in
canopy above them opens.

Ground layer:
sparse plant growth. Less than 1 percent of the light that strikes the
top of the forest penetrates to the forest floor. In such darkness few
green plants grow. Moisture is also reduced by the canopy above:
one third of the precipitation is intercepted before it reaches the
ground.
TROPICAL DECIDUOUS AND SEMIDECIDUOUS FOREST
• These ecosystems are composed of a mixture of
deciduous trees and tropical evergreens and are found
below 1200m above sea level. The climate has distinct wet
and dry seasons. It is warm all year round. The length of
the dry season varies according to the location. From 50 to
100% of the trees lose their leaves (are deciduous) during
this time of periodic drought, as a mechanism to reduce
water loss.
• The trees here are typically not as close together as in
the tropical rainforests, so more light can reach the forest
floor, especially when the deciduous species have
dropped their leaves.
Among the most common plants are species of genus
Burseras. Other common species are Amphipterygium
adstringens, Bucida macrostachya, Capparis incana,
Ceiba aesculifolia, Cyrtocarpa procera, Celtis iguanea,
Cephalocereus hoppenstedtii, Pachycereus weberi,
Neobuxbaumia tetetzo, Agave potatorum y Agave
marmorata
•Thornforest :
Natural forest with > 30% canopy cover, below 1200m
altitude, in which the vegetation is composed of thorny
shrubs, bushy trees, a few sparsely scattered tall trees, and
little or no grass, succulent phanerophytes with thorns may
be frequent. The dry season usually extends for 6 -7
months. The annual precipitation averages 50 to 70 cm.
The most common tree species are  Amphipterygium
adstringens, Mimosa eurycarpa, Cercidium praecox,
Prosopis juliflora ect.
Grassland :
Occurs usually in regions with slightly undulating
topography. The predominant vegetation is low,
between 60 and 90 cm. The dry season is
pronounced and long, from 6 -9 months. The annual
mean temperature can range from 12 to 20C and
mean annual precipitation from 30 -60 cm. The
predominant species belong to genus Bouteloa, 
Acacia, Agave, Quercus, Zinnia, etc. 
• Xeric shrubland:
• Ecosystem  with thorny and deciduous elements,
composed mainly of  small -leaf  bushes and
characteristic for its tower -like cacti. The daily
temperatures can be very extreme, reaching 42C
and the diurnal changes are typically very big
(frequently 20C).The mean annual temperature
ranges from 12 to 26C. Xeric shrublands occur in
wide range of altitudes, from the sea level to
Coniferous forest :
As the name suggest, vegetation is composed
predominantly of coniferous trees. The
temperatures usually fall bellow freezing point
during winter and can be considerably high in
summer. Coniferous forests occur mostly on
the northern hemisphere, where they form the
largest biome on the Earth.
• Pine forests in Mexico grow at elevations of 2,275-2,600 m and
are composed mainly of Pinus montezumae (Trans Volcanic Belt
area), although in more humid areas, P. pseudostrobus is the
dominant species. In drier areas with more shallow soils, P.
rudis and P. teocote are the dominant elements. At low
elevations (below 2,000 m) P. oocarpa and P. michoacana are
more common and are sometimes interspersed with P. herrerae,
P. pringlei and P. leiophylla, along with some individuals
of Quercus. Above 3,000 m throughout the Trans-Volcanic belt,
the forests are a strict combination of Pinus hartwegii and Abies
religiosa. The herbaceous stratum is well developed and
epiphytes are abundant.
•Cloud forest :
•Can be found in humid areas above 1000 m above see level. Trees
usually reach more than 20m. The mean annual temperature varies
from 12 to 23C, the annual mean precipitation is always higher
than 100 cm and sometimes exceeds 300 cm. In many cases the
forests are enshrouded in semipermanent mist giving rise to the
term cloud forest.
Cloud forests harbor many species that can be found in the rain
forests, but are typically rich in epiphytes, parasitic plants,
bromeliads, vines, ect. The most common species are Oreomunnea
mexicana, Ulmus mexicanus, Weinmannia pinnata, Liquidambar
styraciflua, Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, Nyssa sylvatica,
Quercus sororia, Pinus ayacahuite, Hedyosmum mexicanum, ect.
• Wetland :
• The Ramsar Convention identifies wetlands as "areas of
marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or
artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is
static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of
marine water the depth of which at low tide does not
exceed six metres and may incorporate riparian and
coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or
bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low
tide lying within the wetlands". This broad "official"
definition includes a huge variety of ecosystems.
•The Convention identifies 6 wetland systems:
•marine - not influenced by river flows (e.g.
coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs)
•estuarine - where rivers meet the sea (e.g.
deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps)
•lacustrine - areas of permanent water with
little flow (e.g. wetlands associated with lakes)
•riverine - land periodically inundated by river
overflow (e.g. wetlands along rivers and
streams)
•palustrine - where there is more or less
permanent water (e.g. marshes, swamps, and
bogs)
•artificial - wetlands created or radically modified
by humans (e.g. fish ponds, gravel pits, salt pans)
Thank You